IT asset disposition has come a long way in the past decade and continues to evolve as clients’ needs become more sophisticated. Recent changes have resulted in additional facets of the industry, including ESG reporting and support for remote workers and more obscure facets such as re-imaging and redeployment, legal hold, and license retirement. HOBI refers to these new facets as value-added ITAD (vITAD) services that help clients navigate new industry hurdles.
Disposition Obstacles
Responsible IT asset disposition includes several steps, and obstacles can arise. About 90 percent of the global population owns a smartphone, and many own more than one mobile device. However, many users still do not know how to dispose of IT assets properly and may experience issues. For example, a large portion of mobile devices can be reused. However, some still contain data, and users are unsure how to properly erase their personal information before donating the device. Another obstacle is data security and legal protection after employee termination. Data remains on devices after retirement until properly wiped, and legal protection is crucial in an age where data is stored digitally. Many assets also come with software licenses, which can increase license fees over time. Value-added ITAD services help eliminate disposition obstacles with additional services designed specifically for clients’ evolving needs.
Value-Added ITAD Solutions
Many IT assets still have some use left after retirement, and some companies opt to increase asset value with re-imaging and asset redeployment. Re-imaging is installing a new operating system or application on a device, including wiping the hard drive and installing a fresh operating system. This often occurs before asset redeployment, which is the repair, refurbishment, and remarketing of retired IT assets. Redeployment maximizes the value of old IT assets. It helps prevent e-waste from being sent to landfills by keeping electronics in circulation longer, which keeps them out of the waste stream altogether.
When client employees are terminated, their IT hardware is sometimes placed under legal hold, which means ITAD enterprises must wait for legal approval before wiping data and processing. This prevents any legal issues and ensures that retired assets and data are safe while waiting to be processed. HOBI utilizes cameras and padlocked cages to store IT assets before processing them to provide further data security before devices are wiped.
When IT assets are retired, software licenses are, too. License termination occurs during the audit process before the licenses are rolled over to new devices and before data erasure. The retirement process consists of a software system phaseout, aiming to end the existence of a software system entirely. License retirement offers several benefits to an enterprise, such as cost reduction and eliminating outdated information. Retiring a software license eliminates recurring license costs, maintenance, and administration costs. Additionally, an enterprise undergoes many changes the longer it is operational, and information can become outdated over time. Retiring a software license enables companies to upgrade to more efficient software and update enterprise data.